Changing Destiny
by 1198991k
Summary: AU of the original TV Show, Supernatural, where Dean shows up at Stanford for a very different reason. Sam notices his brother isn't acting right and tries to find out why. Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the new storyline.
1. Chapter 1: Brother

**Chapter One: Brother**

Sam's POV

Jess has been excited about Halloween. I, on the other, hated that holiday. When your entire childhood was devoted to monster hunting, Halloween lost its appeal. Not only that, but the anniversary of my mom's death was two days after, making this time of year hard. Dad would drink heavily and Dean would be...well Dean. He would make horrible jokes and be more obnoxious than usual.

Speaking of Dean, I hadn't talked to him in a long time. When I first left for Stanford, not seeing and talking to Dean was rough. I hadn't realized how close we were until he wasn't around, but I couldn't talk to him. While I loved my brother, we didn't agree on one thing. Life.

He was fine with hunting forever, following Dad's orders like a soldier, and I wasn't. I wanted normal and Dean didn't get that. He didn't understand why I didn't want to hunt forever or why I didn't 'just get along with Dad'. Well, I don't understand why he hunted and blinded followed Dad into danger.

Also, Dad and I just didn't click. Maybe it was because we were so different. I wanted one thing and he wanted another. Dean and Dad were alike. Both loves hunting, rock music, and the Impala.

Therefore, while I missed Dean terribly, I didn't think it could work. We were complete opposites and now we lived in two different worlds. He lived in the hunting world and I lived in the normal world. And I was happy.

I had everything I could want and more. I was going to college and making something of myself, unlike Dean who was content to just doing nothing. I had friends, a girlfriend, and a life. I was paving my own way in the world without Dad and Dean.

"Sam!" Jess calls. "Get a move on, would you? We were supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago."

I groan. I don't really want to go out to a Halloween party and drink.

"Sam!" She calls again.

I poke my head around the corner and I see her standing in her sexy nurse costume, ready to go.

"Do I have to go?" I ask.

"Yes! It'll be fun."

I walk closer to her.

"And where's your costume?" she asks.

I laugh and look at the ground. I should've known she was going to fight about this.

"You know how I feel about Halloween," I remind her.

"I know, babe. I was just hoping you would warm up to it."

She knows nothing about the Supernatural and my mom's death. So, she doesn't understand my disdain for Halloween.

"I don't know. Let's go. You said we're late."

"And you aren't gonna dress up?" She pouts.

"I am dressed up."

"As what?" She says putting a hand on her hip.

"A college student."

"Ugh. Fine. Let's go," she smiles.

We meet up with Luis, who is dressed up as a ghoul. I try not to think about hunting and how to kill ghouls, but I fail. Luckily, Luis' stupid jokes are a great distraction. All of us make it to the bar and start to drink. As Jess and I talk about school, Luis runs around. He makes it back to our table with a drink.

"Here's to Sam and his awesome LSAT victory," Jess says, raising her glass.

"Alright, alright. It's not that big a deal."

We all clink glasses.

"Yeah, he acts all humble, but he scored a 174."

Luis and I throw back our shots.

"Is that good?" he asks.

"Scary good," Jess replies, looking proud.

Jess drinks her shot.

"So there you go," Luis says. "You are a first round draft pick. You can go to any law school you want!"

"Actually, I got an interview here. Monday," I tell. "If it goes okay I think I got a shot at a full rise next year."

"Hey. It's gonna go great," Jess reassures me.

"It better."

"How does it feel to be the golden boy of your family?" Luis questions.

"Ah, they don't know." They didn't care.

"Oh no, I would be gloating! Why not?"

"Because we're not exactly the Bradys," I say to him. And because we are Supernatural hunters that kill things you can't imagine, but I can't tell him that.

"And I'm not exactly the Huxtables. More shots?" He suggests.

"No! No," Jess and I yell.

Luis gets up anyway and stumbles to the bar.

"No, seriously. I'm proud of you," Jess says to me. "And you're gonna knock 'em dead on Monday and you're gonna get that full ride. I know it."

"What would I do without you?" I ask in awe of her.

"Crash and burn."

She smiles and kisses me.

Luis gets back with the drinks and the three of us throws them back quickly, then we go home. Jess and I both take a quick shower and lay down. Warm and happy I fall asleep.

I awake to the sound of someone breaking in. I leave the bedroom and look around the apartment. I hear them pass the string of beads at the end of the hall and I wait for them. A man walks in I lunge at him, grabbing his shoulder.

He roughly shoves me away and goes to punch me, but I duck. The man grabs my arm, swings me around, shoves me. That confuses me, but I don't hesitate. I try to kick him, but he blocks it. It is like he knows my moves. I am pushed into the next room and I barely see him, but he looks familiar. He elbows me in the face and I try to kick him in the head. The man ducks and swings at me. I block it, but then I am knocked to the ground. The man's hand is around my neck and the other is holding my wrist. Gasping, I worry about Jessica. Then, the man talks.

"Whoa, easy, tiger."

I would know that voice anywhere.

"Dean?"

He laughs.

"You scared the crap out of me!"

"That's cause you're out of practice."

Oh, really? I grab his hand yank. I slam my heel into his hand and take him to the floor.

"Or not."

I tap him twice.

"Get off of me," he says, annoyed.

I roll off of him and get up. I pull Dean up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask.

"Well, I was looking for a beer," Dean teases.

He puts a hand on my shoulder, shakes once, then lets go.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, madder.

"Okay. Alright," he sighs. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Uh, the phone?" And preferably not at 3am.

"If I'd'a called, would you have picked up?"

Before I could lie, Jess turns on the light and comes in.

"Sam?" She asks tiredly.

"Jess. Hey. Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jess."

"Wait, your brother Dean?" She says, excited to meet a family member of mine.

I nod. Dean steps closer to her.

"Oh, I love the Smurfs. You know, I gotta tell you. You're completely out of my brother's league."

I roll my eyes. I hate that about Dean.

"Just let me put something on."

"Okay," Dean says, surprising me. I thought he would've taken that farther. "Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business. But, uh, nice meeting you."

"No," I say. I walk over to Jess and I put an arm around her. "No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her."

"Okay," Dean turn towards us. "Um, Dad hasn't been home in a few days."

"So, he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later."

Dean looks down and when he looks up, he has an expression I wasn't used to seeing on his face.

"Dad's been on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days."

I keep my facial expression the same as I take that in.

"Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside."


	2. Chapter 2: Driver Picks the Music

**Chapter Two: Driver Picks the Music**

I threw on a hoodie and some shoes, ignoring Jessica. Dean and I headed downstairs. I immediately started yelling at him.

"I mean, come on. You can't just break in, middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you."

"If you would listen, I'll explain everything. First of all, I just wanted to let you know that Dad was missing. I would love if you would help me find him. I mean, our dad is missing!"

"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He's always missing, and he's always fine," I remind him.

Dean stops and turns toward him. Again, he has a weird facial expression. It's a mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness. I stop and look at him closely for the first time. He looks tired and ragged. His hair is sticking up everywhere and I can see some stubble on his face.

"Not for this long. And I know you can't just hit the road in the middle of the night. I'm also here to ask you for a favor."

"What favor?"

"I've been looking for Dad non-stop for days. I just left Jericho, where he just left in the middle of a hunt. I need...I need a place to crash and get together," Dean says, looking at the ground.

"What about a motel?"

He flinches and I regret asking.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have come. I just needed a place to crash and someone to bounce ideas off of. I thought you would want to help me find Dad."

"I do," I say. "I'm just not going to drive around aimlessly and going on hunts. I swore I was done hunting. For good."

"Come on. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad."

Dean turns and starts down the stairs again. I follow him.

"Yeah? When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45."

Dean stops again, right in front of the door that leads to outside. And I could use some fresh air.

"Well, what was he supposed to do?" Dean says and I can't see his face.

"I was nine years old! He was supposed to say, don't be afraid of the dark." Like a normal dad.

"Don't be afraid of the dark? Are you kidding me? Of course you should be afraid of the dark. You know what's out there."

Dean meets my eyes and his face is serious.

"Yeah, I know, but still. The way we grew up, after Mom was killed, and Dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her."

Dean glances outside, not listening to me.

"But we still haven't found the damn thing. So we kill everything we _can_ find," I go on, furious.

"We save a lot of people doing it, too."

"You think Mom would have wanted this for us?" I say, knowing it's dirty, but I know she wouldn't have wanted this.

Dean rolls his eyes and heads outside.

"The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors," I say trying to get him to see my side.

"So what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?" Instead of mad, or even curious, Dean almost looks hopeful.

"No. Not normal. Safe."

Dean snorts.

"Whatever. So, are you gonna let me crash here or not. I'm tired."

"Sure, but I'm not helping you look for Dad."

"I can't do it alone."

"You can."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to."

Dean walks up to the Impala and leans against it.

"So, why weren't you with Dad?" I ask, trying not to think about what he said.

"I was working my own gig. This, um, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans," Dean says.

"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" I ask, shocked. Dad never let us out of his sight.

"I'm twenty-six, dude," Dean says like I'm crazy. "We started hunting separate a few months after you left."

"Oh. You said Dad abandoned a hunt?" That was unlike Dad.

"Yeah. I went there and I, um," Dean stopped to think. "Found his notes on the hunt and his journal, but not him."

Dean pulled the journal out of the Impala.

"He goes everywhere with that."

"I know," Dean nods. "They found his truck, but he wasn't in it. There was a sign of a struggle though. I haven't got any new leads. I have a friend looking into it, but I am ran ragged. I wondered if you had any ideas."

"Me? I haven't heard from him in years."

"I was going to share some information with you tomorrow and talk. Now, all I want, is sleep."

"You can stay, but I need you gone by Monday," I tell him.

"What's Monday?"

"I have this...I have an interview."

"What, a job interview?"

"It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate."

"Law school?" Dean says, smirking.

"So we got a deal or not?"

"Sure, Sammy."

"It's Sam."

We make it back to the apartment and Jess is waiting for us.

"Is everything alright?" She asks.

"Yeah, Dean is just going stay for a day or two," I tell her.

"While the police looks for your dad?"

"Something like that?" Dean says. "Got a spare blanket?"

"Here," I throw him one.

Jess and I got back to our room.

"Is everything alright?" She asks again.

"Yeah."

"Is your dad okay?"

"Yeah. You know, just a little family drama." I hope she drops it.

"Your brother said he was on some kind of hunting trip."

"Yeah, he is probably fine. Dean is just overreacting. He needs a place to sleep and get his head screw back on right," I lie. "Dad is probably out with Jim, Jack, and José."

"Sam, I mean, please."

I turn to her.

"Just stop for a second. You sure you're okay?"

I wondered how I looked. I laugh, trying to seem fine. Curse stupid Dean.

"I'm fine."

"It's just...you won't even talk about your family. And now Dean just shows up and your Dad is missing. What's going on?"

"It's nothing, really. Let's go back to bed."

I kiss her cheek and hop into bed.

The next morning, I wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs. I look over and see that Jess is out of bed. Assuming that she made breakfast, I head to the kitchen. I am surprised to see Dean and Jess sitting at the table, eating.

"There is some in the pan, Sammy." He doesn't look at me.

"So, you two burn down an entire field with fireworks?" Jess asks.

"You're telling her that story," I groan, making me a plate.

"Of course, it's one of our greatest hits."

"What else have you been telling her?"

"Oh, nothing. Just how you broke your arm because you thought you could fly."

"I hate you," I said, sitting.

"What?" He reigns shock. "No possible."

"What's on the agenda for today?" Jess asks.

"Well, I'm gonna take Sam out for a drive and talk, then he's yours for the rest of the day," Dean says.

"Sounds good," Jess says.

"When are we going for this drive?" I wonder.

"Whenever you're ready."

I wolf down the rest of breakfast and throw on some clothes. I walk in to find Dean near the door. He is tapping his foot and staring off into the distance. Geesh, I didn't know he was going to be so impatient.

"I'm ready."

"Alright," Dean smiles. "Let's hit the road."

"Only for a few minutes." I didn't think Dean would get force me to go with him to find Dad, but you never know.

"Whatever you say."

We get in the car and Dean drives off. At first, the ride is silent and I'm getting more angry. What did Dean want to talk about? He wasn't saying anything! Just blaring rock music.

Before I can say anything, he pulls into a gas station. He hops out, leaving me in the car. I don't follow him, instead I lean back and try not to yell. Trying not to think of what an idiot Dean is, I start looking through the cassette tapes. They are familiar, and annoying, so I look them.

"Hey!" Dean yells.

I look out the window and I see him carrying bags.

"Want a snack?" He asks.

"No, thanks." I thought about it for a second. "So how'd you pay for that stuff? You and Dad still running credit card scams?"

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro ball career." Dean says putting the nozzle back on the pump. "Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah? And what names did you write on the application this time?" I ask, swinging around, putting my leg back in the car.

"The last time we did, um, Burt Aframian." Dean gets back into the car and puts his soda down. "And his son Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal."

Dean closes the Impala door.

"That sounds about right. I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection." I look down at the box, not happy with our choices.

"Why?" Dean sounds offended.

"Well, for one, they're cassette tapes. And two." As I list them, I hold the cassette tape up. "Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica?"

Dean takes the box from me, but doesn't say anything.

"It's the greatest hits of mullet rock," I tell him.

"Well, house rules, Sammy." He pops in a tape. "Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole." He drops the tape box back in and starts the engine.

"You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old," I say, hoping he will stop calling me that. Dean treats me like a child, despite the fact I am twenty-two years old.

The music turns out and I try to tell him.

"It's Sam, okay?"

If Dean and I were going to have a relationship, I needed to set some ground rules. One, don't call me Sammy.

"Sorry, I can't hear you, the music's too loud," Dean yells before driving off.


	3. Chapter 3: Demons Devils

**Chapter Three: Demons + Devils**

After a few minutes of driving, I turn off the music.

"What?" Dean looks at me and I can see that he was far off thinking about something.

"What did you want to talk about?" I demand. "I don't have all day."

"Right," Dean says.

He pulls over and takes a deep breath.

"Well." I cross my arms.

"I don't even know where to start," Dean says quietly, almost to himself.

"How about what happened to you?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" Dean ask, trying to sound nonchalant, but he sounded scared. What was he scared of?

"Why did you and Dad separate after I left?"

"After you left, Dad was furious. We got into it, but we stayed together. However, after a while, I noticed that Dad started acting weird."

"Weird how?" I mean, Dad isn't actually normal.

"Um, I mean the man was already secretive, but it got worse. He would just wake me in the middle of the night and drag me off with telling me anything at all. Then, he stopped waking me up. He would just go on a hunt and when he got back, he refused to tell me what it was."

"So you left?" I ask.

"Sort of. I mean, Dad was gone most of the time anyway, man. He would give me hunts while he did his secret ones. So over time, we just parted ways. Dad would call less often and would I."

"Then, maybe Dad just left again and didn't want you to follow," I suggest.

"That isn't it. I tell you why in a minute."

"Alright," I huff.

"So, I started looking for my own hunts and all of that. Everything was fine for a few weeks, until I heard about I found a case where there was sulfur left behind."

"Sulfur?"

"Yeah, I called Bobby because Dad didn't answer. Bobby said it was demons."

"What?" Surely, I misheard him.

"Demons," Dean repeats.

"We've never hunted demons. Dad-."

"Well, he was wrong. Bobby told me to get out of there before I got hurt, because I didn't know anything about demons."

"Yeah," I nod.

"So, I head to Bobby's in order to learn about demons."

"You're gonna hunt demons?" He couldn't be serious!

"Well, yeah, I hunt monsters and demons are monsters," Dean says, looking at me like I was kindergarten. "Bobby taught me about demons. They are souls from Hell that possess people and wreck havoc."

"I know. I'm not stupid."

"Let me explain," Dean sighs. "So I learned that you can use holy water, salt, iron…"

"Yeah, we've been told."

"And Devil's Traps," Dean snaps.

"What?"

"A symbol that if demons walk into it, they are trapped and powerless, making an exorcism relatively easy."

"Oh."

"Oh," he mocks. "Bobby also told me about Anti-Possession Charms."

"What?"

Dean pulls two necklaces out of his pocket. Both were identical. The charm was a star with flames around it.

"Here," he hands me one.

"Why do I need one?"

"To protect yourself. I am giving you the necklace because I'm sure you wouldn't want the tattoo verison," Dean sighs again.

"The what?"

He pulls down the collar of his tee shirt and I see a tattoo verison of the charm over his heart.

"You got a tattoo!"

"To protect myself against demonic possession!" Dean yells. "Now take the damn necklace and shut up."

I take it silently.

"After learning about demons, I went back to hunting and for a few months, I didn't have any demonic run ins, but then I found more sulfur. I stayed to hunt it. Of course, I barely had any idea what I was doing. I investigated and found out that some new guy was in town looking for a party. He was drinking, partying like crazy, and generally a nuisance to the small, quiet town."

"A guy drinking and partying. You know that describes almost everyone at Stanford. Hell, Brady is the king of partying." I say.

"Brady?" Dean says, with an old look on his face.

"A college friend." A friend I haven't heard from in months. The rumors were that he went to rehab in another state.

"Yeah, well, don't know what's wrong with you, geek boy, but you ain't no partier."

"Finish your story."

"Alright, so I planned a fake party in an abandoned barn. I laid a trap and waited. And it showed."

"You trapped a demon?"

"Yeah, and boy was it mad. I started doing an exorcism when it started talking."

"About what?"

"It said it knew what killed Mom."

"What?" I felt my blood run cold.

"It said that it's father killed our mom."

"Demons have families."

"Apparently," Dean shrugs. "It said that a demon killed Mom because it has plans."

"Plans? What plans?"

"I tried to get it to tell me, but it claimed it didn't know. I finished the exorcism and that was that for a while. Then, I noticed more demonic signs. Lightning storms, cattle deaths, sulfur, etc. I started hunting demons almost non-stop."

"That's-." I went to say stupid and dangerous, but I stopped.

"Crazy? I know. Everyone one of them told me that same thing. A powerful demon has plans. Finally, one told the demon's name."

"They have names too?"

"Yes, Sam, they have names. Azazel killed our mom."

"Azazel?"

"Yep, almost a year into my new demon hunting, I found a demon that loved the sound of its own voice. Crowley."

"What did he say?"

"That Azazel's plans were to raise Lilith from Hell, then release Lucifer."

Again, I was in shock. Did he mean the real Lucifer? As in, Satan. Was he serious?

"I am serious, Sam," Dean says to me.

I guess I spoke out loud.

"And I knew that I had to something to stop it. Crowley, not wanting Lucifer to be freed, offered to help."

"Wait," I interrupt, able to speak again. "A demon offered to help you."

"Yeah, because this time we want the same things. We don't want Lucifer released, because if he gets out, he will start the Apocalypse."

"The what?"

"The Apocalypse? The End of Days?"

"This has to be a dream," I whisper. "I drank too much and now I'm dreaming."

"Sam," Dean says. "One, this isn't a dream. Two, even if it was, you aren't this creative."

"This can't be happening."

I scrub my face, frustrated and overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry it is."

"What does this after to do with Dad?"

"Well, if a demon killed Mom, that means Dad is going after a demon. I think he found out and that was his secret hunts. And I think he is missing because the demon kidnapped Dad. I don't know where it would've taken him, so I needed a fresh set of eyes."

"What do you want me to look at?"

"Just some books and pictures. I was in Jericho, looking for Dad, and he was gone. I finished the case up and came right here. There isn't a lot of evidence, but he had to have found out something there."

Dean pulls out a file and gives it to me. I open it up and see pictures of Dad's motel room. The walls were covered in all sorts of paper; newspaper cutouts, notes, pictures, and maps. All over there was books and other stuff. Dean took a picture of everything in his room.

"Salt, cats-eye shells...he was worried. Trying to keep something from coming in."

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe a demon showed up or something."

"And it took him."

"Yeah."

"What was the hunt?"

"Constance Welch. A Woman in White. Her man was unfaithful, so she killed her kids, then herself. She haunted the road, killing guys. She kept saying 'take me home', so I drove the Impala through her house."

"What?"

"Hey, it was either that or be killed by. Anyway, that got rid of her spirit and the kids' spirits."

"And there was signs he was taken," I say, remembering earlier.

"Yeah, the salt line was broken, things are messed up, his journal and truck are still here, and he isn't answering anyone's calls."

"Maybe he went hunting for the demon and wanted to make it look like he missing."

"Sam, I'm worried, even if that is what he is doing, he can't handle the demon on his own."

"You want to go help him?"

"Of course, he trained us to do this, then he just leaves." Dean throws his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Alright, let's get back. Jess has to be wondering where we are."

"Okay," Dean starts the engine and we drive off.

The drive back home is awkward. Dean has the radio on, but softly. He is tapping on the wheel, but not the way he used to. He wasn't tapping to the music, but tapping nervously. I had never seen Dean nervous before. I guess anyone would be if they found out about the Apocalypse. I sure as hell was.

Another thing I noticed about Dean was that his hair was shorter and messier than usual, and he was wearing Dad's leather jacket. He looked different, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Well, he was older. Maybe I was just overthinking things.

We make it back to the apartment, but before I walk in, Dean grabs my arm.

"What is it?" I ask, confused.

"What are you gonna tell Jess?"

"Nothing."

"Well, that's healthy." Dean rolls his eyes.

"Well, what do you want me to tell her?"

"The truth."

"You mean about demons and the Apocalypse-."

"No!" Dean says. "About your childhood. Hopefully the end of the world is avoided, so she doesn't need to know about something that isn't going to happen. I mean, Supernatural, we're hunters, and Dad went missing on a hunt. Dean's looking for him and needed a break."

"I can't tell her." I shake my head.

"Really? Why? Because she might freak out."

"Yeah, she will."

"Give her some credit. And is it really work being with her if she doesn't love all of you."

Wow, that was deep.

"Maybe, but what about you Dean?"

"What about me?"

"Don't you ever just want a normal life? Where you get married? Have kids?"

Dean looks off into the distance for a second and I feel hopefully. He turns back, smiling, and I lose it.

"Normal is overrated. And who do you think I am? You."

"Dean. It's just that I care and-."

"No chick flick moments," he says, holding his hand up.

I laugh and nod.

"Alright, Jerk."

"Bitch."


	4. Chapter 4: The Talk

****Chapter Four: The Talk****

I go to open the door to my apartment, feeling the smile leave my face. I can't do this. What if she hates me afterwards? What if she never talks to me again? Where will I live? What would I do?

A hand lands on my shoulder and I turn around. Dean is smiling softly, in silent support.

"Do you want me to help you?" He offers.

"I should do this on my own," I tell him.

"I'll be sitting in the car." Dean turns around and walks off.

Taking a deep breath, I walk into the apartment I share with her. I find her sitting on the couch, watching TV. For a second, I just stare at her. This could be the last time that I talk to her. Our relationship could end within the next few minutes.

"Sam?" Jess says, looking at me. "What's wrong?"

She walks over to me and wraps her arms around me.

"I need to tell you something," I whisper, hugging her tightly.

"Tell me what?" She pulls away and looks at my face.

"About my childhood and my family."

I see her face change. She looks nervous and somewhat excited. Jess has been asking about my family for a long time. Her childhood was great and her family was close, so she shares everything, and she doesn't understand why I don't.

"Okay," she says. "Um, take your time. Let's sit."

She leads me to the couch and sits me down. I smile, thinking how caring she is and how she trying to make me comfortable. Would this be the last time she does this?

"Um, I-I uh," I struggle to start.

"It's alright, Sam," she says, rubbing my back. "You can tell me anything."

"I hope so," I blurt out.

She tilts her head, looking confused.

"Do you believe in the Supernatural?"

"The Supernatural? You mean ghosts and werewolves?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, they could be-."

"No!" I cut her off. "Do you believe in them?"

"Well, no. They're just stories. Fiction."

"What if I told you they weren't just stories?"

"What do you mean?" She asks, looking scared.

"What if I told you that ghosts, werewolves, vampires, ghouls, and all of that existed and that people hunted them?"

"You believe this," she says, leaning back.

"I do."

"Sam," she starts, sighing.

"I'm not crazy."

"I'm not saying you are."

"But you're thinking it." I stand up and start to pace.

"I-I mean, this is pretty crazy. There's monsters and hunters. Wait," she paused, looking scared. "Your dad was on a hunting trip?"

"Yeah," I say. "He was hunting something."

"Oh my. Sam, you can't believe your dad is hunting monsters," she stands. She looks at me with sympathy.

"He is. I've seen them. I've hunted them." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I cringe.

"You've hunted?" She pushes her hair back roughly. "Sam. Those were people."

"No. Not really. They monsters." I try to will her to believe.

"No. Sam. Monsters aren't real. My dad knows people-." Jess walks toward me.

"I'm not crazy! This is real. This is- was my life."

"I know, but…"

"Let me explain everything. At least let me tell you the entire story before you have me committed."

"Fine."

We both sit on the couch.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. As you know, I was born May 2nd, 1983 in Lawrence, Kansas. My brother, Dean, is four years older than me. John and Mary Winchester are my parents."

"Yeah," she whispers, nodding.

"Well, six months after I was born, our family changed forever."

"Your mom passed away in a house fire."

"That's partially true."

"Partially?"

"Yeah. Um, a….monster broke into our house and, she, um was pinned to the ceiling and burned alive." I struggle to phrase it right.

"What?" Jess says so quietly I almost didn't hear her.

"My dad found her and he started hunting, trying to find the thing that killed her."

"And you and Dean were taught to hunt."

"Yeah. And we would move around constantly, following the hunt. When I got my Stanford letter, Dad and I fought. I didn't want to hunt anymore. They saw it a different way. I abandoned the family for my own selfish needs," I say bitterly, glaring at the ground.

"They wanted you to hunt forever."

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Monsters aren't real," she says again.

"They are. I can't prove it, because that would mean bringing one here. Just believe me, Jess. Does it look like I'm lying?"

"No, but if you really believed this, then to you it's the true, so you wouldn't be lying."

"Ugh!" I lean back on the couch and close my eyes.

"Sam."

"What do we do now?" I ask.

"I don't know."

"I'm not crazy, but you think I am. I'm not being committed."

"I won't. Just, why do you think they're monsters?"

I open my eyes and look at her.

"Because there are signs."

"Signs?" She says, clinically, almost like a doctor would.

This is better than before. I'll take it.

"Well, to start off, there are mysterious deaths that police can't explain. Like, missing hearts, no blood, no forced entry and the room is locked. Things like that. Then, we head there and we investigate. We dress up as insurance people or something."

"That's illegal!" She exclaims.

"Everything about hunting is illegal. So, we talk to the families and learn more about the victim. Usually by this point we have a general idea of what's going on. I do a lot of research. Dean and Dad find it and kill it. I haven't been on many hunts, but the ones I've been on it's pretty obvious it's a monster. They have different eyes."

"What type of eyes?" She asks.

"Depends on the monsters. Shapeshifters eyes glow in videos, werewolves have yellow, and a bunch others. Monsters usually have claws and razor sharp teeth."

I look at Jess who is staring at me like I have two heads.

"Now, do you think all three of us would hallucinate about the same thing?"

"I mean if you Dad brainwashed you."

"He didn't brainwash us. Well, not me. I left hunting."

"And Dean?"

"He's a hunter through and through. And we aren't the only ones. There is Bobby, Caleb, Joshua, Pastor Jim, and others. We all agree and see the same thing."

"I still can't believe this," Jess sighs, covering her face in her hands.

"That's fine. It's a lot." I hug for a few minutes.

"I need to go find Dean. It's waiting," I say, reluctant to let her go.

"Alright."

I leave the apartment and as soon as the air hits me, I start to gasp. I told Jess about my life! And while she thought I was crazy, she didn't yell at me or throw me out. It wasn't the best outcome, but it wasn't the worst. I find Dean in the Impala, looking through some papers.

"Still looking for Dad?" I say when I get to the window.

"No. Demon hunts."

"Oh."

"So how did it go with Jess?"

"Um, well she thinks I'm loony, but still loves me."

"That's good," Dean says, smiling a small smile.

"Yeah. She doesn't believe me though."

"Well. It is pretty nutty."

"It is. I just don't know what to do now."

"I would say give her some alone time, but in this case I don't think that is a good idea."

"Why?" I wonder.

"Well, she needs to see you are still your geeky self and not a crazy man. Remind her of the good things."

"Wow. Great advice. Did it hurt to think of that?" I tease him.

"No! I'll show you hurt."

"Sure. Whatever. And I thought you were on a break. Stop looking for hunts." I grab the papers and throw them into the passenger seat.

"Hey!"

"Come in, Dean."

"Alright, but only because I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry." I roll my eyes.


End file.
